Swim mitt



March 23, 1965 w, PAULEY 3,174,167

SWIM MITT Filed Aug- 14, 1965 INVENTOR WILLIAM L. PAULEY WJW ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,174,167 SWIM MITT William L. Panley, Dunn Eden Lake, Salem, Ohio Filed Aug. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 302,164 1 Claim. (Cl. 9-308) This invention relates to a swimming aid and more particularly to a mitt which may be positioned on the hand with the fingers free inside the mitt and used to propel a person in swimming.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a simple and inexpensive swim mitt.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a swim mitt that will by reason of its shape be self-retaining on the hand of a user.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a swim mitt that may be readily positioned on the hand and equally readily removed therefrom.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a swim mitt that may be made of .two sections of flat flexible sheet material having their peripheral edges secured to one another.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a swim mitt in which the entire surface of one side of the mitt is effective as a swimming aid and in which the hand is positioned through an opening in an opposite side.

The swim mitt disclosed herein is intended to be provided in pairs for use on the right and left hands of a person so as to aid in swimming. The mitt differs from the swimming gloves and web constructions heretofore known in the art in that it is simply a pair of appropriately shaped sections of flat fiexible material such as sheet plastic secured to one another at their peripheral edges as by heat sealing and provided with a hand opening in one of the pieces, together with a plurality of drainage openings. The mitt when positioned on the hand of the user conforms to the shape of the hand around that portion thereof adjacent the thumb so that when the fingers on the hand are slightly spread relative to one another the mitt is secured in position. The hand in the mitt is free with no intervening structure between the fingers and the hand can therefore be used in climbing, holding, or the fingers doubled up as desired and without any restriction from the mitt.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being the intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a swim mitt for the left hand.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a swim mitt for the right hand.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the mitt shown in FIGURE 2 with broken lines therein indicating the position of a hand with the fingers and thumb in slightly spread position.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section on line URE 3.

By referring to the drawings and FIGURES 1 and 2 in particular, it will be seen that a pair of swim mitts has been disclosed each of which comprises a back portion and 10A respectively and a front portion 11 and 11A. Each of the back portions are provided with elongated hand admitting openings 12 and 12A respec- 44 of FIG- 3,174,167 Patented Mar. 23, 1965 ice tively and a plurality of spaced drainage openings 13 and 13A respectively. As shown in FIGURE 1 and FIGURE 2, the swim mitts are arranged for the right and left hands of the user when placed through the hand admitting openings 12 and 12A in the back portions 10 and itiA with the thumbs toward one another. Each swim mitt has a straight wrist end section 14 and 14A respectively with an elongated outside section 15 and 15A respectively extending outwardly therefrom at substantially a right angle thereto and which elongated side section 15 and 15A terminates at the end of an arcuate finger tip end section 16 and 16A. The arcuate finger tip section 16 extends downwardly to join a shortened angularly positioned thumb side section 17 and 17A respectively. Both the back portion 10 and 10A and the front portions 11 and 11A are of duplicate shape and size and they are heat sealed or otherwise secured to one another adjacent their peripheral edges as indicated by the heat sealing seam 18, 18A.

By referring now to FIGURE 3 of the drawings, a perspective view of the swim mitt may be seen with broken lines illustrating the positioning of the right hand of the user in the swim mitt shown in FIGURE 2. It will be observed that the wrist area of the hand is indicated by the letter W and that the hand is positioned through the opening 12A so that when the thumb is spaced with respect to the fingers the area of the hand within the mitt is larger than the opening 12A thereby holding the mitt in position on the hand.

In FIGURE 4 of the drawings, a vertical section on line 4-4 of FIGURE 3 may be seen and the detail illustrates the heat sealed seam 18A which joins the front portions 11A of the mitt to the back portion 10A. The configuration of the hand opening 12A is also illustrated.

It will thus be seen that the particular points of novelty in the disclosure comprise the formation of the swim mitt from the two sections of flexible plastic material seamed to one another around their complete peripheral edge portions and wherein one of the pieces has the hand opening together with the drainage openings and the other piece is imperforate.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that several sizes of the swim mitt may be made so that they may be used on adults or childrens hands, and it will also be obvious that they may be formed of any suitable material, and having thus described my in ention, what I claim is:

A swim mitt comprising a flat bag formed of thin flexible impervious material adapted to enclose the hand of a user, said flat bag having an access opening in one side thereof through which said hand may be positioned, the shape of said flat bag being such as to enclose said hand when the fingers and thumb are in spread relation and wherein said access opening is relatively narrower than the adjacent area within said flat bag and is located adjacent one edge of said flat bag and parallel therewith.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 733,303 7/03 Agnew 9-308 1,185,411 5/16 Kennard 9--308 2,004,684 6/35 Bell 9308 3,122,760 3/64 Glass 9308 FOREIGN PATENTS D 17,827 8/56 Germany.

FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Primary Examiner.

MILTON BUCHLER, Examiner. 

